The Trinity Peace Pole was made by Peace Pole Makers USA, located in northern Michigan, creators of Peace Poles for the World Peace Prayer Society since 1985. The poles are crafted from Canadian red cedar or aluminum for durability and weather resistance.

Trinity’s Peace Pole is a four-sided aluminum post with eight language panels on it. The traditional “May Peace Prevail On Earth” message appears in English, Greek, Latin, Aramaic, Hebrew, Arabic, and Spanish. The eighth panel holds an additional English prayer, “May Peace Be in Our Homes and Communities.”

Anyone can plant a Peace Pole, and the poles have been received by many international organizations and governments including the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the World Health Organization in Geneva, and the Organization of American States and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. more than 200,000 poles have been dedicated in countries all over the world, according to The World Peace Prayer Society at WorldPeace.org.

Trinity Episcopal became familiar with the Peace Pole concept through Associate Rector Cathy Westpfahl, who had seen the poles in locations throughout Washington state, said Reverend Kathleen Adams-Shepard, and the congregation decided it was “high time” to plant their own pole of peace.

Following the Sunday dedication ceremony and an appearance in the Monday morning Labor Day Parade, the Peace Pole was placed in a garden near the rear entrance of the church on Tuesday morning. It is her hope, said Rev Adams-Shepherd, that the Peace Pole will stand as a reminder of the mission of world peace to people as they come and go.